Protocols for Understanding the Redox Behavior of Copper-Containing Systems

Suitability of single-reference density functional theory (DFT) methods for the calculation of redox potentials of copper-containing macrocycle complexes was confirmed by the use of T 1 diagnostics along with a verification of negligible spin contamination or wave function instability. When examining the effect of improvement in the cc-pVnZ basis set series on calculated redox potentials, the results readily converged at the cc-pVTZ level. The all-electron Def2-TZVPP basis set is shown to be a suitable choice of a basis set for the calculation of redox potentials when utilizing a cc-pVTZ geometry. The best-performing model chemistries are determined to be the M06/polarizable continuum model (PCM); therefore, a scheme for redox potential calculations of copper macrocycles using either M06/cc-pVTZ with PCM solvation is proposed to reliably reproduce experimental trends

How selective are real wage cuts? : a micro-analysis using linked employer-employee data

Using linked employer–employee panel data for Germany, this paper investigates whether firms implement real wage reductions in a selective manner. In line with insider–outsider and several strands of efficiency wage theory, we find strong evidence for selective wage cuts with high-productivity workers being spared even when controlling for permanent differences in firms’ wage policies. In contrast to some recent contributions stressing fairness considerations, we also find that wage cuts increase wage dispersion among peers rather than narrowing it. Notably, the same selectivity pattern shows up when restricting our analysis to firms covered by collective agreements or having a works council

1920-21: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

Delivered in the auditorium of Abilene Christian College, Abilene, Texas, February 1920-21 F.L. Rowe, Publisher, Cincinnati, Ohi

Protocol for the saMS trial (supportive adjustment for multiple sclerosis): a randomized controlled trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy to supportive listening for adjustment to multiple sclerosis

BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an incurable, chronic, potentially progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The disease produces a range of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, which can have a profound impact including disrupting activities of daily living, employment, income, relationships, social and leisure activities, and life goals. Adjusting to the illness is therefore particularly challenging. This trial tests the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention compared to supportive listening to assist adjustment in the early stages of MS.MethodsThis is a two arm randomized multi-centre parallel group controlled trial. 122 consenting participants who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Supportive Listening. Eight one hour sessions of therapy (delivered over a period of 10 weeks) will be delivered by general nurses trained in both treatments. Self-report questionnaire data will be collected at baseline (0 weeks), mid-therapy (week 5 of therapy), post-therapy (15 weeks) and at six months (26 weeks) and twelve months (52 weeks) follow-up. Primary outcomes are distress and MS-related social and role impairment at twelve month follow-up. Analysis will also consider predictors and mechanisms of change during therapy. In-depth interviews to examine participants’ experiences of the interventions will be conducted with a purposively sampled sub-set of the trial participants. An economic analysis will also take place. DiscussionThis trial is distinctive in its aims in that it aids adjustment to MS in a broad sense. It is not a treatment specifically for depression. Use of nurses as therapists makes the interventions potentially viable in terms of being rolled out in the NHS. The trial benefits from incorporating patient input in the development and evaluation stages. The trial will provide important information about the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions as well as mechanisms of psychosocial adjustment.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91377356<br/

Association of a dietary inflammatory index with cardiometabolic, endocrine, liver, renal and bones biomarkers: cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank study

\ua9 2024 The Author(s)Background and aims: Research into the relationship between an Energy-adjusted Diet-Inflammatory Index (E-DII) and a wider health-related biomarkers profile is limited. Much of the existing evidence centers on traditional metabolic biomarkers in populations with chronic diseases, with scarce data on healthy individuals. Thus, this study aims to investigate the association between an E-DII score and 30 biomarkers spanning metabolic health, endocrine, bone health, liver function, cardiovascular, and renal functions, in healthy individuals. Methods and results: 66,978 healthy UK Biobank participants, the overall mean age was 55.3 (7.9) years were included in this cross-sectional study. E-DII scores, based on 18 food parameters, were categorised as anti-inflammatory (E-DII &lt; -1), neutral (−1 to 1), and pro-inflammatory (&gt;1). Regression analyses, adjusted for confounding factors, were conducted to investigate the association of 30 biomarkers with E-DII. Compared to those with an anti-inflammatory diet, individuals with a pro-inflammatory diet had increased levels of 16 biomarkers, including six cardiometabolic, five liver, and four renal markers. The concentration difference ranged from 0.27 SD for creatinine to 0.03 SD for total cholesterol. Conversely, those on a pro-inflammatory diet had decreased concentrations in six biomarkers, including two for endocrine and cardiometabolic. The association range varied from −0.04 for IGF-1 to −0.23 for SHBG. Conclusion: This study highlighted that a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with an adverse profile of biomarkers linked to cardiometabolic health, endocrine, liver function, and renal health

Adherence to the Eatwell Guide and cardiometabolic, cognitive and neuroimaging parameters: an analysis from the PREVENT dementia study

BackgroundThe Eatwell guide reflects the UK government\u27s recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet. Previous research has identified associations between healthy eating patterns and both cardiovascular and brain health, although there is little evidence specifically focusing on the Eatwell Guide. To date no research has investigated associations between the Eatwell Guide and risk for future dementia.MethodsData from the PREVENT dementia cohort study baseline visit was used in this analysis. Binary and graded Eatwell Guide scores (BEWG, GEWG) were created from a self-reported Food Frequency Questionnaire. The CAIDE score was included as the primary outcome measure to represent risk for future Alzheimer’s disease. Secondary outcome measures included cardiometabolic health measures and brain health measures. Generalised additive models were run in R.ResultsA total of 517 participants were included in the analysis, with a mean BEWG score of 4.39 (\ub1 1.66) (out of a possible 12 points) and GEWG score of 39.88 (\ub1 6.19) (out of a possible 60 points). There was no significant association between either Eatwell Guide score and the CAIDE score (BEWG β: 0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.07, 0.22; GEWG β: 0.02, 95% CI: -0.02, 0.06) or any measures of brain health. There was a significant association between higher GEWG score and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) (systolic β: -0.24, 95% CI: -0.45, -0.03; diastolic β: -0.16, 95% CI: -0.29, -0.03; BMI β: -0.09, 95% CI: -0.16, -0.01).ConclusionsAlthough not directly associated with the CAIDE score, the Eatwell Guide dietary pattern may be beneficial for dementia prevention efforts through the modification of hypertension and obesity, which are both known risk factors for dementia. Future work could replicate these findings in other UK-based cohorts as well as further development of Eatwell Guide scoring methodologies

Relational Contracts and Organizational Capabilities

A large literature identifies unique organizational capabilities as a potent source of competitive advantage, yet our knowledge of why capabilities fail to diffuse more rapidly—particularly in situations in which competitors apparently have strong incentives to adopt them and a well-developed understanding of how they work—remains incomplete. In this paper we suggest that competitively significant capabilities often rest on managerial practices that in turn rely on relational contracts (i.e., informal agreements sustained by the shadow of the future). We argue that one of the reasons these practices may be difficult to copy is that effective relational contracts must solve the twin problems of credibility and clarity and that although credibility might, in principle, be instantly acquired, clarity may take time to develop and may interact with credibility in complex ways so that relational contracts may often be difficult to build

The Impossibility of a Perfectly Competitive Labor Market

Using the institutional theory of transaction cost, I demonstrate that the assumptions of the competitive labor market model are internally contradictory and lead to the conclusion that on purely theoretical grounds a perfectly competitive labor market is a logical impossibility. By extension, the familiar diagram of wage determination by supply and demand is also a logical impossibility and the neoclassical labor demand curve is not a well-defined construct. The reason is that the perfectly competitive market model presumes zero transaction cost and with zero transaction cost all labor is hired as independent contractors, implying multi-person firms, the employment relationship, and labor market disappear. With positive transaction cost, on the other hand, employment contracts are incomplete and the labor supply curve to the firm is upward sloping, again causing the labor demand curve to be ill-defined. As a result, theory suggests that wage rates are always and everywhere an amalgam of an administered and bargained price. Working Paper 06-0